Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-08-02
Going From Home to Learn the
News.

Going From Home to Learn thu
News.
The journalistic champion of Ante
lope valley, Col. T. s. Harris, has re-
moved his types to Tulare City, where,
doubtless, he will still WELD tren.
chant pen. Had he been still upon
the editorial tripod at Rosamond he
would, certes, have broken lance
with the British Vice-Consul at Los
Angeles, Mr.. G. White Mortimer.
That gentleman is quoted by the PAIL
Mall Budget of July l4th to the follow
ing purport:
Many Englishmen who have come
here have been unsuccessful, owing to
the impractical character of the edu-
cation they had received. Many, too,
have been ruined owing to their hav-
ing relied on the false representations
of interested parties in London. The
Antelope valley, the poorest part of
this district, is full OF English and
Scotch families, many of whom have
not now means to get away. At the
invitation of the Southern Pacific rail-
way visited the valley in May last,
and found that the bulk of the land is
an alkali desert; where the land is
good the water is from 200 to 300 feet
from the surface. Many Of the resi-
dents in the Antelope valley had ar
ranged to settle there by the advice OF
railroad agents in London before leav-
ing their homes in the old country.
Ignorance of the law is said to ex-
cuse no man, and the fact that British
ers ignorant OF farming have not done
well in Antelope valley does not abso-
lutely condemn that section. 1t has
been purely speculative region, and
it is the Gospel truth that all who
have invested there with any judg-
ment have double and trebled their
money, and that within period Of a
few years. Californians are to-day
paying good money for lands in Ante
lope valley because they are relatively
cheap, and because they believe that
the developments of the future will
advance these lands to far higher
prices. The farmer who is used to
the methods of agriculture prevalent
in England and Scotland would un-
dou btedly fare badly by plunging into
Antelope valley.YFAt the same time
the date is not distant when capital
and enterprise will there make wind
breaks, develop water and impart to
those lands five times their present
value.
The Budget goes on to say:
There are upwards of 5000 British
born residents in the district, and
large amount of British capital has
been sunk, one company alone having
recently invested Zoo, 900, but there
are still many industries in which
more capital could be profitably en-
ployed.
If theresare eight thousand British
subjects of whom Los Angeles is the
center, we confess that we are at loss
to know where3 they I are located.
Waving that point, we will add that
nearly all the Britons bold that have
come within our scognizance in Los
Angeles countynhave done and are
doing remarkably we'll. At this pres
ent writing we recall one British-born
subject, Mr.. d. Freeman, of the Cen
tinela rancho, who has made a million
and a half dollars by investing in Los
Angeles land, and Gen. Edwin Ward,
who has made round half mill
on by the same practice. The
Budget had better send one of
It's staff to interview Captain Hutchin-
son, who has just returned to England
with his wallet well-lined with dollars
made by the purchase, holding and
sale of Los Angeles realty. As to the
two hundred thousand pounds sterling
sunk in the Los Angeles district by
British-born Subjects, We do not be-
lieve word of it, and would be thank
ful for the proof. The Budget prob
ably alludes to the project Of convert
ing yucca into-~paper, which was con-
iucted by Colonel Gay, and which
was speculative experiment, pure
and simple, Of which Antelope Valley
was the theater. The land bought in
of that scheme would to-
lay sell for three times the sum paid |
or it, 80 that we are at loss to know
what Los Angeles county had to do
with the misadventure. This section |
8 surely not accountable for schemes
,oncocted in the teeming brains Of |
London newspaper men.